Achtung Baby

Yes, it's one of the best albums ever recorded. Only U2's Joshua Tree stands next to it by the same artist. And for me, it was and remains a deeply personal record, having been released when I was a freshman in college. I don't think a newer fan can really understand how shocking this record was - how it was the complete opposite of everything U2 stood for, and yet was still them.... But anyway...I'm reading a few complaints from other raters about the packaging. Yes, the hardcover books for the early albums were lush. But this is true to the original release. When Achtung baby first came out it was a softcover that opened up to four pages. It was as visually shocking as it was aurally. The crappy plastic-box release which came soon after was a travesty, robbing decades of fans of some of the best of the album art. Only now is the original vision restored. This is how Achtung Baby is supposed to look. My only packaging complaint is the MAMMOTH and intrusive FBI warning that seems to take up half of one of the pages. U2 didn't even put their own name there, but the FBI needs that much room? A shame.I have recently come across a Canadian copy of this 2-disc set. The FBI warning is gone, and instead you have the artwork which the FBI's threat was covering up. Also, the coloring is better on the Canadian copy. It's lighter, and less blurry. It looks exactly like the album did in 1991. If you have a choice, I'd go for the Canadian version of this product.The album may not have been "remastered" but it has been tweaked. You will hear things you haven't heard before on both discs. There is one new song on disc 2 "Blow Your House Down" and most of the B-sides. Yes, they are all amazing songs and if you missed any of them the first time you missed half of the album. Back in 1991 it was common for bands to release almost another album's worth of material as B-sides. It was a part of the experience. When you first heard The Fly, The Lounge Remix and Alex Descends into Hell for a Bottle of Milk (Written for the play A Clockwork Orange 2000) came along with it.If you're considering the one disc, pony up the cash for this edition instead. Of course, the Super-box has A LOT more material if you're really into the album. I won't suggest the Uber to anyone simply because, if you're not already SURE you need the Uber - you don't.Noah Mullette-GillmanAuthor of Luminous and Ominous

I'm not going to get too much into the audio/video content of this set because quite frankly that's not what this particular edition is about. Sure, if you have all of the singles you have most if not all of the remixes and most die-hard U2 fans already have Zoo TV live from Sydney on DVD - not to mention the videos. If all you are concerned about is the music and video content, then this set definitely isn't for you. The "Kindergarten" disc is an interesting look at the development of some of the songs as is the documentary DVD From the Sky Down, but there are less expensive ways of getting those discs, i.e. the regular "Super Deluxe Edition."What we have here then is an amazingly pieced together collector's box set with all kind of cool and flashy attractions - the Fly sunglasses, buttons, a magnetic tile box, 5 7" vinyl singles, Achtung Baby on vinyl, a copy of a fan magazine, lithographs, etc. This edition is more for you to display, not listen to. Like the other reviewer said, you can even download the content so you don't wear out your physical CDs.Sure the packaging may be over-the-top for some, but wasn't that the point of Achtung Baby to begin with? U2 reinvented themselves after their seemingly holier-than-thou '80s pretentiousness. Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree are great albums, but like Bono once said their '80s work was never really that sexy. Once they hit the disco clubs in Europe a whole new chapter began and we as U2 fans were better off for it. In my opinion this all reached a climax with the vastly underrated Pop album, but that's a different conversation all together.Just comparing the deluxe editions of Joshua Tree and Unforgettable Fire to this one illustrates the difference in tone between the U2 of the '80s and the U2 of the '90s. Take it for what it's worth.Like the Genius of Miles Davis box set from last year which came with a trumpet case, lithograph, t-shirt, and mouth piece, this set is more about presentation than the content. If that bothers you, then don't get it. But if Achtung Baby is one of your favorite albums and you have the means, then you won't be disappointed.

This 2018 vinyl reissue of U2's Actung Baby is simply terrific, if not long overdue. If you wanted to own this truly great U2 album on the vinyl format, your only choice til now was to pay around $60 and up on eBay or Discogs for a RARE original 90's pressing. Finally we have a proper double 180 gram reissue of Actung Baby. How does it stack up?First off, the packaging is super nice; I would have loved a gatefold for this special edition LP but, that's a minor quip, the packaging is still of a high quality, no cheap white paper sleeves here; they're very nice and have an inner lining and the inserts with pictures and lyrics are a quality, heavy duty material). And, the sound is quite simply a knockout! I have never heard this album sound so great! The original CD from the 90's was decent, adequate but this 180 gram double vinyl is the ultimate way to experience this atmospheric masterpiece. The mix is very dynamic, the instruments are given room to "breathe" and you can hear everything clearly. The sound is rich and has tight, punchy bottom end that is very powerful but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the music. The Edge's guitars are given plenty of breathing room and you can really hear his creative, sometimes very intricate guitar work. The highs are crisp but never shrill or ear piercing, and Bono's vocals are smooth and resonant and ride over the whole thing nicely. And the price is very reasonable; You're getting a very high quality double vinyl reissue for a little over 20 bucks. Highly recommended, this vinyl reissue was worth the long wait! Order it up, you won't be disappointed.